Producer; founder and CEO of Terrapin Station Entertainment
Web: shorefire.com/roster/jonathan-shank
Most recent: Heart of Town
GRAMMY award-winning live events producer Jonathan Shank has decades of experience in live music production, family entertainment, and sports partnership with a career that began as an intern at New Orleans’ House of Blues in 1994. Along the way, he’s learned that being collaborative and kind are key to a sustainable career in the business, as well as forging a path that will allow you to grow and take on new experiences. “There is room for everyone in the music business; it’s just about finding your lane,” Shank says.
As founder and CEO of Terrapin Station Entertainment, Shank has worked on everything from concerts to film-orchestra experiences, crediting his team for the success of these productions. Now, Terrapin is gearing up for the stage debut of Gabby’s Dollhouse Live! Presented by Walmart, with a 75+ city tour launching in September to build buzz ahead of the fall release of the Gabby’s Dollhouse movie starring Kristen Wiig. The musical stage production is based on the popular DreamWorks animated series of the same name.
“Gabby’s Dollhouse has been such a team effort with so many people a part of it,” Shanks says. “I think it’s really exciting when you get to connect the dots between all these different aspects of a live musical production.” Shank sees immersive, live music experiences and productions as growing trends in the industry, and Terrapin Station has collaborated on many with live events producer Black Ink Presents, including Barbie the Movie at the Hollywood Bowl, featuring an all-woman orchestra.
His advice to those aspiring to a career in live events production is to attend as many live shows as possible. “If you get to as many shows as you can, you’ll start seeing the same group of people more and more who are interested in the same types of events."
